Panasonic PV-GS180 Camcorder Review by David Kender Published on Jul 16, 2006 2:00 PM

The Front (8.25)
The PV-GS180 (Review, Specs, $448.25) (Review, Specs, ) isn’t pretty – Panasonic camcorders veer towards utilitarian as opposed to aesthetic elegance, and this model is no exception. While some manufacturers have chosen to slim down the width of their camcorders or adopt a more compact upright design, Panasonics are barrel-like and squat. This shape is especially prominent on the PV-GS180 when viewed from the front.

The 10 x optical zoom Panasonic lens occupies the entire upper right region of the camcorder’s front. What appears to be a silver-colored focus ring is actually a matte box release ring. Unlike most consumer camcorders, this Panasonic is fitted with a rectangular matte box that offers an unusual degree of glare shielding – a very nice feature. The matte box is threaded to accommodate 37 mm filters. The matte box can also be removed so that lens adaptors can be attached directly to the lens housing. A dark, opaque window below the lens conceals two sensors – white balance and remote control.

An onboard stereo zoom microphone is located in the lower left quadrant of the PV-GS180’s front. Just above the mic is a surprisingly small recording lamp, rounding out a sparse and efficient front-end.

The Right Side (8.5)
The right side of the PV-GS180, where the tape compartment opens, is ergonomically curved to provide a comfortable grip, and the barrel-like shape of the camcorder does feel very natural. In contrast to the rest of the camcorder body, the tape compartment door/grip region is made of a sturdy grey plastic that is marked by shallow grooves. Apart from giving this Panasonic camcorder a distinctive look, the grooves do offer some additional grip, particularly on top. The top-loading tape compartment opens on a hinge near the base of the right side, and easily clears the hand strap.

The hand strap itself is well-padded and comfortable, but runs parallel to the base of the camcorder rather than angled down towards the lens. Many camcorders including Sonys, Samsungs and some Panasonics feature an angled hand strap that orients the camcorder lens parallel to the ground without a bent wrist. Without that angle, pointing the PV-GS180 forward requires a slightly bent wrist which could become tiring over the course of a long shoot.

The last major component of the right side is a port cavity near the camcorder’s back. The cavity is protected by a sturdy and well-designed port cover made of hard plastic, and affixed at its base by a retractable connector. The port cover is easily opened by pulling on a small scalloped indent on its right edge, swings wide enough to permit full access to the cavity, and fits securely when ports are not in use. From top to bottom are an AV/headphone jack, a 3.5 mm microphone jack and a USB port. The AV/headphone jack must be configured in the menu as either AV out for analog playback to an external device or headphone out for audio monitoring.

The Back (8.5)
The back of the PV-GS180 is a tour de force in terms of fast-access functionality, and the combination joystick/mode switch serves as the primary interface for the camcorder’s many manual adjustments. The round mode switch extends out to the right of the back side, placing it in easy reach of the right thumb when the camcorder is handheld. The switch rotates between fixed positions for video record, video playback, still camera, still playback and PC modes. A joystick is located in the center of the mode switch, and is used to navigate menus within each mode by pressing up, down left or right. Pressing in on the joystick selects a menu item. This combination joystick/mode switch is an ingenious Panasonic development, and enables a user who is familiar with the interface to efficiently access and tweak the camcorder’s adjustments. Mastering the joystick does require some practice, however, as well as decent finger dexterity. In addition, the record button is located just to the left of the joystick/mode switch making it likely that the button will be pressed unintentionally from time to time.

Below the Record button is a port cover concealing an S-Video port. Like the port cover on the camcorder’s right side, this one is sturdy and well designed. To the left of the S-Video port is the expandable battery slot. The battery release is located on the underside of the PV-GS180, and operating it can tricky given the small size of the switch, and its out-of-sight location. The battery release location also makes it impossible to access when the camcorder is mounted on a tripod – a seemingly minor inconvenience that could prove costly. Sometimes getting the shot or missing it is a matter of a few seconds, and Panasonic should have allowed for battery release without removing the camcorder from a tripod.

Above the battery is an extendible color electronic viewfinder that is about as good as one can find on a typical consumer camcorder today – in other words, terrible. This one does extend far enough back to clear the included battery, an area in which some viewfinders literally fall short. Like other consumer camcorder viewfinders, the PV-GS180 has a hard plastic eyepiece that becomes uncomfortable after a few minutes of shooting. In its favor, it is possible (just barely) to use this eyepiece without any light leakage from the sides by gently pressing it against your eyeball. It’s not a great fit, but it works better than most. A dioptric adjustment is located on top of the viewfinder.

To the right of the viewfinder, and above the joystick/mode switch are the Quick Start button and Menu buttons. At the far top right of the camcorder’s back is a small power indicator light.

The Left Side (7.5)
The main feature of the left side of the PV-GS180 is the 2.5” LCD screen, and the functions housed in the LCD cavity. The screen produces an excellent image that is very sharp and bright, but suffers from solarization when tipped at even a slight angle to the user. Sony is the one camcorder manufacturer that produces LCD screens that do not solarize – but they don’t have the crispness of the PV-GS180’s display. The Screen opens to 90 degrees from the camcorder body, rotates through 270 degrees, and can be folded LCD-out into the LCD cavity for viewing from the left side.

Inside the LCD cavity is button labeled Power LCD, which causes the entire LCD to brighten when pressed. A small green indicator light is illuminated when the screen’s brightness is increased. Below the LCD Power button is a switch for Auto and Manual modes. The top position of the switch places the camcorder in Auto mode, and the center position engages Manual mode. When in Manual mode, this switch is also used to toggle between Manual and Auto focus, by pressing the switch down. The downward position is not fixed but is a spring loaded toggle that returns the switch to Manual after being depressed. Below the Auto/Manual switch is a DV port, and just to its left at the bottom center of the LCD cavity is an SD card slot. Like the battery release, this slot cannot be accessed when the camcorder is mounted on a tripod.

The Top (8.5)
The most prominent feature of the top of the PV-GS180 is the zoom toggle, located near the camcorder’s back. The toggle is a spring-loaded slider that provides excellent zoom control when the camcorder is handheld. The placement of the toggle was slightly awkward for me, and was in-between my index and middle fingers – further forward than on most camcorders. Behind the zoom toggle is the still photo button, and at the camcorder’s rear edge is the Power switch.

At the front of the camcorder is the Open/Eject switch, which unlocks the tape compartment door. Once the door is unlocked, it must be manually pulled into its fully open position before the tape mechanism will eject the tape. A cold accessory shoe is located on the left side of the PV-GS180’s top, just forward of the viewfinder.